6 Pots and Pans Every Home Cook Needs

Learn which cooking pots are essential to becoming a better cook.

I married a serial pot-dirtier. He cooks, I clean. And clean, and clean. To be fair, it’s hard to clean as you go when you’re preparing different dishes on the stove, in the oven and on the counter. Still, as I wash up in my husband’s wake, I can empathize with the 25 percent of Americans who, according to a new study, don’t cook because they want to avoid dirtying their kitchens.

One-pot meals are just the thing to help minimize the mess in this already-extra-busy season. I love having just one thing to wash between dinner and Jeopardy. Having a few good-quality pots at your disposal puts you on the fast track to dinners that are just as easy to clean up after as they are to make.